“Maybe I’ll call Cane because you know how forthcoming he is about all things baby,” I said, taunting her. Cane had called to tell me that Jada was pregnant before Jada had a chance to, much to her chagrin. It was the best New Year’s Eve news I’d ever gotten. He went on and on, ignoring Jada’s protests in the background. It was pretty adorable.
“Don’t even,” she warned, making me laugh. “If it’s a boy, it’s going to be Benjamin Thomas. Benjamin is after his grandfather and Thomas after Dad. We’re still a little unsure about a girl’s name. I like Anna Marie, Anna after Mom and Marie after Cane’s grandmother. Cane likes Carmin Elizabeth. I have no idea why.”
“Oh, Jada! I love them!” I squealed, giggling at Cane’s randomness. “Why won’t you just find out if it is a boy or a girl? I want to buy blue or pink, not green and yellow.”
“Cane wants to be surprised, so we’re going to be surprised. But I think it’s a boy.”
“That’s funny because I think it’s a girl,” I said.
“So does Cane,” she laughed. “He’s sure it’s going to be a girl. He said it’s his payback for being a hellion.”
I saw my neighbor, Gladys, come out of her house and look strangely towards my car. “Look, Jada. I need to go. Gladys is giving me the stare down and I feel weird sitting here ignoring her.”
“Go. Love you.”
“Love you,” I replied, getting out of the car. Gladys gave me a little wave.
I made my way across the lawn towards the grey-haired old lady that lived next door. Gladys was a sweet woman. She made me chicken noodle soup when I came down with a bad case of bronchitis one fall. Last winter, she fell and hurt her hip. I visited her a lot, bringing her the crossword puzzles she liked and her mail in the afternoons.
Gladys had lived in the neighborhood for years, maybe even decades. She knew who lived where and how many kids they had. For a woman that didn’t get around a lot, she didn’t miss much.
“Hi, Gladys,” I called out. “How are you?”
She ambled down the few steps on her porch and made her way towards me. “I’m good, dear. How are you?”
“Great.”
“Have you moved? I haven’t seen you around much lately.”
I smiled, tossing my car keys in my purse. “I am in the process of moving, actually.”
“I hate that. You’re such a nice neighbor.” She smiled sadly.
“I don’t know what I’m doing with the house, so I’ll be around off and on for a while. Most of my stuff is still here right now.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Have you had someone checking on it for you?”
“No,” I said. “Just the pool guys every-other-week as usual.”
“Huh,” she huffed. “I know I saw someone in the backyard last week. I let Molly out,” she said, referring to her dog that was as old as her, “and she started barking like crazy.” She shook her head, trying to remember. “I wish I could remember what day it was. It was probably your pool guys. Yes, I bet that’s what it was.”
I suddenly felt very uneasy. “Could it have been Max? Or maybe my sister’s husband? You’ve met Cane before, right?”
Gladys was watching my face closely and touched my shoulder. “Honey, I’m sorry to frighten you. I’ve been a little nervous lately. I watched one of those shows the other night about these home invasions the young hoodlums are doing now. I hate to say that it really scared me; my mind’s been running around like crazy.”
“I have the security system set, so if anyone had gotten in, it would’ve gone off.”
“That’s good. It was probably just my imagination, come to think of it. Hey, I have a kettle of soup on. You have time to come and grab a bite to eat?” she asked hopefully.
“I wish I did, but I need to grab a load of my things and get them home before it gets too late. And I need to go check on my sister if I can find time today.”
She patted my shoulder again and turned towards her house. “You take care, Kari. And good luck with your boyfriend.”
I smiled as I thought of Max. “I will, Gladys. You have my number if you need anything.”
I headed to my front door with a heavy sense of unease. Although she said not to worry about it, I did.
What if someone was lurking around outside? Who could it be? Why would they bother?
With a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, I hesitantly unlocked the front door. The system beeped, letting me know it was still armed. I typed in the code and turned around.
The house was exactly as I left it. Nothing had been touched or moved. I walked cautiously into the kitchen and it appeared fine as well. The back door was shut tight. It hadn’t blown open since Max fixed the loose lock that had plagued me off and on for a few months. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Gladys had thought someone was milling around.
I grabbed my phone and dialed Max’s number.
MAX
“Just a second, Sam.” I held up a finger. “Hey, sweetheart,” I said into my cell phone.
“Hey.” Her voice made me smile. “I’m at my house and was just talking to my neighbor. You remember Gladys, right? Anyway, she said something that got me on edge a little, so I’m changing the security system code.”